Nikki Sixx on Five Finger Death Punch’s Ivan Moody: ‘If He Can’t Be a Hundred Percent Honest, He’s Gonna Have a Hard Time Getting Sober’

Earlier this week, Five Finger Death Punch's Ivan Moody took leave from the band after an onstage meltdown. In his statement on the matter, the singer revealed that he had once again "fallen off the wagon." The band has since recruited Tommy Vext to fill in on their current dates until Moody is healthy enough to return. As expected, the events of the week have generated plenty of reaction, including one from Sixx: A.M.'s Nikki Sixx who has dealt with sobriety issues of his own. Sixx addressed the matter on his Sixx Sense radio show and his comments can be heard in the player below.

Sixx opens by stating, "I've talked to some of the members of Five Finger Death Punch and Ivan Moody has gone home from the tour. They have a guy, Tommy Vext — he's from Bad Wolves. He's out there, he's gonna replace [Ivan] for now. Tommy is eight years sober. So it's kind of ironic and interesting that the alcoholic is going home and the sober guy, who hasn't made it as big as Five Finger Death Punch, is stepping in. Tommy did say in a press release from Five Finger Death Punch that he not only feels a responsibility to deliver to the fans, but also to show Ivan what you can do being sober. I like that a lot."

During the discussion, Sixx was asked why he felt that going to rehab several times hasn't worked for Moody so far. "I can't speak specifically for Ivan, but I can talk about this program. This program is about honesty," explained Sixx. "If you're going to meetings and you're using a little bit, trying to control it, it's not gonna work. You're lying to yourself. Okay? This is the problem: You can lie to me, but you have to look at yourself in the mirror. You're lying to yourself. And if he can't be a hundred percent honest, he's gonna have a hard time getting sober, and this is what happens to a lot of people."

He continued, "I remember in my early, early recovery, the first time I really tried it on, I didn't wanna do it — I didn't wanna get sober — so I tried every which way. I said 'I'm just gonna drink wine' and then 'I'm just gonna do this,' and 'I'm just gonna smoke weed and I'm not gonna do hard drugs,' and then it was, like, 'Well, I'll do them, but only on weekends.' [This is] very common. Anybody out there in recovery has heard a version of this or tried it on themselves."

The Sixx: A.M. and Motley Crue bassist expressed his hope that Ivan Moody will eventually get sober, but also discussed how quickly a rise to fame can change in the industry and it can all be over just like that.